air pollution

As emission regulations become stronger for new vehicles in industrialized countries, cars as old as 25 years no longer able to meet emission standards are being exported to Africa. Air quality is suffering as a result.

Any child playing at the Uhuru garden — a recreation park in the middle of the Kenyan capital Nairobi — is oblivious to the health dangers in the air around him or her. But that air is laden with toxic pollutants, which have become a leading cause of respiratory disease in Kenyan cities.

According to the World Health Organization, 15,000 children under five died each day in 2016 due to respiratory disease.

But the vehicles that contribute a large part of that pollution trace a long path to Africa.

As emission regulations become stricter in the European Union, Japan, and the United States, cars no longer able to meet current standards are exported to other regions, including Africa.

In Africa, 25 countries have placed a maximum age limit on used car imports. But due to weak enforcement, cars as old as 25 years are sold in Africa.

As the population in African cities grows, unreliable public transport systems mean demand for cars is increasing. But low purchasing power, lack of stringent emission controls, and poor fuel quality have contributed to an influx of used cars that have been pushed out of industrialized countries by more stringent emission rules.

Dieselgate goes global

The Dieselgate scandal was unearthed in late 2015 when German automaker Volkswagen was found to have intentionally programmed its diesel engines to show lower-than-actual emission of pollutants.

Installed software allowed Volkswagen cars to meet the emission standards during laboratory testing. However, on the road, the same cars emitted up to 40 times more nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxides (NOx), a major air pollutant.

In the wake of the Dieselgate scandal, the European Union introduced stringent measures to ensure cars comply with the EU emission standards.

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World in Progress: Dirty export business

The dirty export business of used cars

"Before being released to the market, new car models are now tested on-road in addition to the standard laboratory emission testing," Peter Mock, EU regional lead at the International Council on Clean Transportation, told DW.

Vehicle engine combustion and fuel evaporation processes release dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, ground-level ozone (also known as smog) and NOx. Cars and trucks also emit lead and other toxic pollutants such as benzene and formaldehyde.

Gerphas Opondo, executive director of the Nairobi-based Environmental Compliance Institute, warns that the transport sector is becoming a major source of air pollution in African cities.

"Cities in Africa have high particulate matter, hydrogen oxide, hydrocarbon, and carbon monoxide concentrations, recorded along busy roads and intersections," he explained.

Apart from deaths due to air pollution, many more are sickened.

Research indicates that of the 4.2 million annual global chronic respiratory diseases, nearly 3.3 million occur in low- or middle-income countries. This includes cardiovascular and respiratory disease such as stroke and asthma, as well as increased risk of cancer.

Lack of standards and dirty fuel

Jane Akumu, air quality and mobility program officer at UNEP, told DW that a major problem is how vehicle emissions standards, tough emission inspection systems, and clean automotive fuels are lacking in the majority of African countries.

Many African countries lack strict emissions testing schemes

"Most African countries are yet to adopt the euro 4 standards, which were required in Europe in 2006," she explained.

"High sulfur levels in diesel are also deterring the efficiency of emission technologies in Africa," Akumu continued.